Let The War For The Ring Begin, Part One

Todd Webb

02/01/2006

Ladies and Gentlemen … this is the main event. The greatest moment in Seahawk history is upon us. The eyes of the nation will be upon this great arena Sunday as two great armies meet on the field of battle. Will it be the Seahawks who emerge from Detroit's colosseum as the victors and masters of the Ring … or will it be they who get skewered by the onslaught of Cowher's crusaders?

In 218 B.C. the great Carthaginian general Hannibal surprised the Romans by crossing over the Alps with about 20,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and about 20 elephants. From 216 B.C. to 203 B.C. Hannibal terrorized the Romans, marching his army up and down the Italian Peninsula, leaving a path of destruction in his wake. Like Hannibal, the Steelers have methodically marched across NFL gridirons this year, reeking havoc against teams they’ve faced. To gain a greater sense of these marauders from the Northeast and the major weapons of their warfare, here is a breakdown of the Steelers Offense …

Breakdown of the Steelers Offense …

(Regular Season Statistics)

Rushing Attempts 549 (59.15% of Offense Rushing)

Passing Attempts 79 (40.8% of Offense Passing)

Total Plays 28

Rushing Breakdown …

Total Carries 549

Willie Parker 46.4% of rushing offense

Jerome Bettis 20% of rushing offense

Verron Haynes 13.4% of rushing offense

Passing Breakdown …

Total Receptions 228

Hines Ward 30.2% of passing offense

Antwaan Randle-El 15.3% of passing offense

Heath Miller 17.1% of passing offense

Cedrick Wilson 11.4% of passing offense

Willie Parker 7.8% of passing offense

Verron Haynes 4.8% of passing offense

And as you can see, these figures haven’t changed all that much in the playoffs except for the fact that Roethlisberger has been much better at distributing the ball around …

Postseason breakdown of plays …

Rushing Attempts 109 (60.2% of offense)

Passing Attempts 72 (39.7% of offense)

Total Plays 181

Rushing Breakdown …

109 Total Carries

Jerome Bettis 38.5% of rushing offense

Willie Parker 43.1% of rushing offense

Passing Breakdown …

49 Total Passes

Hines Ward 20.4% of passing offense

Cedrick Wilson 16.3% of passing offense

Antwaan Randle-El 18.4% of passing offense

Heath Miller 14.2% of passing offense

Willie Parker 18.4% of passing offense

Nearly 60% of the Steeler attack this year has come via ground assault. Highlighted by elite infantryman Willie Parker (1202 Yards, 4 TD’s) and Jerome Bettis (368 Yards, 9 TD’s) and guided by General Roethlisberger (3 rd Best QB rating in NFL), this army has managed to trample some formidable foes. Here is how the Steelers have fared on the field of battle against some of the NFL’s elite forces this year …

Week 13 vs. Cincinnati … The Bengals struck back against the Steelers, as Palmer completed 22 of 38 passes for 227 yards and 3 TD. Rudi Johnson ran for 98 of the team’s 102 rushing yards and 2TD. Roethlisberger meanwhile, completed just 29 of 41 and passes for 386 yards, 3 TD, and 3 INT’s. The Bengal defense stepped up by forcing 4 turnovers and holding the Steelers to just 95 yards rushing. The Steelers lost 38-31.

Wild Card Playoff vs. Cincinnati … After Palmer went down with career threatening injury, a deflated Bengal team allowed the Steelers to rush for 144 yards. Roethlisberger was 14 of 19 for 208 yards, 3 TD, and 0 INT’s. In relief, former Hawk John Kitna completed 24 of 40 passes for 197 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT’s. The Bengals were held to just 84 yards rushing as the Steelers won 31-17.

Defensive Rankings (NFL Ranking)

Rush Yards/Game

Pass Yards/Game

Pts/Game

Cincinnati

115.6 (20th)

223.1 (26th in NFL)

21.9 (22nd in NFL)

Offensive Rankings (NFL Ranking)

Rush Yards/Game

Pass Yards/Game

Pts/Game

Cincinnati

119.4 (11th in NFL)

238.8 (5th in NFL)

26.3 (4th in NFL)

Week 12 vs. Indianapolis.Peyton Manning completed 15 of 25 passes for 245 yards, 2 TD’s, and 1 INT. Edgerrin James rushed for 124 yards on 29 carries. Conversely, Roethlisberger completed 17 of 26 passes for 133 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT’s. The Steelers were held to 86 yards rushing, with Willie Parker leading the way with 43 yards on 12 carries and 0 TD’s. The Steelers fell to the Colts 26-7.

Playoff Division Matchup vs. Indianapolis. Peyton Manning completed 22 of 38 passes for 290 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INT’s. Edgerrin James, though, was held to only 56 yards rushing and 1 TD (only 14 rushing attempts overall for the team.) The Colts offense was stymied all day long, as they converted only 3 of 13 third down opportunities. Pittsburgh rushed for 112 yards and 1 rushing TD on 42 rushing attempts and Roethlisberger completed 14 of 24 passes for 197 yards, 2 TD, and 1 INT. The Steelers knocked off the Colts 21-18.

Defensive Rankings (NFL Ranking)

Rush Yards/Game

Pass Yards/Game

Pts/Game

Indianapolis

110.1 (16th in NFL)

196.9 (15th in NFL)

15.4 (2nd in NFL)

Offensive Rankings (NFL Ranking)

Rush Yards/Game

Pass Yards/Game

Pts/Game

Indianapolis

106.4(16th in NFL)

256.0(3rd in NFL)

27.4(2nd in NFL)

AFC Championship vs. Denver.Jake Plummer completed 18 of 30 passes for 223 yards, 1 TD, but also threw 2 INT’s. The high powered Broncos rushing attack managed just 97 yards and 1 rushing TD. Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell had only 14 carries between them, with Anderson rushing for 36 yards on 9 carries (4.0 yards/carry avg.) and Bell rushing for 31 yards (6.2 yards/rush avg.) on 5 carries. On the other side, the Steelers rushed for 90 yards on 33 carries. Bettis led the way with just 39 yards (2.6 yds/carry avg.) on 15 carries and 1 TD. Willie Parker added 35 yards on 14 carries (2.5 yds/carry avg.) and 0 TD’s. Roethlisberger though, was on fire, completing 21 of 29 passes for 275 yards, 2 TD, and 0 INT’s. The Steelers advanced to the Super Bowl with a 34-17 victory.

Defensive Rankings (NFL Ranking)

Rush Yards/Game

Pass Yards/Game

Pts/Game

Denver

85.2 (2nd in NFL)

227.7 (29th in NFL)

16.1 (T3rd in NFL)

Offensive Rankings (NFL Ranking)

Rush Yards/Game

Pass Yards/Game

Pts/Game

Denver

158.7 (2nd)

201.7 (18th in NFL)

24.7 (8th in NFL)

Notice any trends on offense? Here are some statistics that highlight the Seahawk plan of defense …

Steelers Rushing Lows of 2005 …

Steelers Rushing Yards

Opp Yds/Rush Allowed

Result

Week 3 New England

79 yards

98.8 (8th in NFL)

Steelers Lost 20-23

Week 5 San Diego

104 yards

84.3 (1st in NFL)

Steelers Won 24-22

Week 6 Jacksonville*

73 yards

106.8 (14th in NFL)

Steelers Lost 23-17

Week 8 Baltimore

101 yards

99.4 (9th in NFL)

Steelers Won 20-19

Week 11 Baltimore*

70 yards

99.4 (9th in NFL)

Steelers Lost 16-13

Week 12 Indianapolis

86 yards

110.1 (16th in NFL)

Steelers Lost 26-7

Week 13 Cincinnati

95 yards

115.6 (20th in NFL)

Steelers Lost 38-31

AFC Championship (Denver)

90 yards

85.2 (2nd in NFL)

Steelers Won 34-17

*(It should be noted that in both the Jacksonville game and Week 11’s Baltimore game that Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play due to injury.)

Todd Webb writes for Seahawks.NET whenever he can be torn away from his beloved Seattle Mariners. Feel free to send any comments, questions or Carl Everett dinosaur jokes to apologetic_thinker@yahoo.com.